Obsolescencia

Skills: Academy, Book, Installation, Robot

Iglesias, R. (2026) Entrevista Obsolescencia y conservación del media art. Surveillance Cameras. They are alive!

This paper presents an in-depth study of the installation piece Surveillance Cameras. They are alive!, part of the exhibition Connectome: Network of Networks in the MediaLab Madrid Archive (2025). The exhibition proposal stems from the research project Scientists in the Arts and Artists in Science: Historical Milestones in the MediaLab Madrid Archive through an Exhibition and Educational Proposal (Ref.: FCT-22-17889). UCM.

It aims to offer a reflection on the various issues surrounding obsolescence in new media art practices. Although my work on robotics within the MediaLab Madrid context was, as we will see later, diverse—including workshops, solo exhibitions, and group shows—this piece has been taken as an example to illustrate the evolution of my own creative processes in relation to robotics and the concepts of communication, interactivity, and surveillance. Furthermore, it has allowed for a reflection on obsolescence, considering real-world parameters of its recovery and conservation.